Two major lottery drawings in Texas that put nearly $180 million in the pockets of winning ticket holders have set off widening state investigations over concern that ticket sellers and buyers may have exploited the rules.

AG Ken Paxton’s office joins two other investigations by state officials into the commission as one service suspends operations due to the agency’s ban.

But the present controversy over so-called lottery couriers appears to have struck a deeper chord because it raises questions over whether ordinary players have a fair shot at winning, and because the Legislature had largely been kept into the dark about the intricacies of courier companies' business practices.